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Jesse James gets back on his bike for 'American Chopper'

December 5, 2011 | 1:54
pm

After all the tabloid stories involving Jesse James' sexual exploits, the infamous Nazi photo, the demise of his marriage to Sandra Bullock and broken engagement to Kat Von D, is the public ready to re-embrace the fallen star who had become the most hated man in America? The Discovery Channel thinks so: James is returning to the cable network that launched his career more than a decade ago, with a guest appearance Monday on a two-night special of "American Chopper" that pits him in a tense build-off against Paul Teutul Jr. and Paul Teutul Sr.

"I think people are tired of hearing about my personal life and ready to see me work again," James told The Times. "People have almost forgot that I am one of the best in the world at what I do." That is, a modern motorcycle-building artist.

James is working on a pilot for a new Discovery show that will start shooting in January; it would include elements of "Monster Garage," which remains Discovery's highest-rated series debut ever, with 2.6-million viewers. On the air four years, the program featured Jesse and his team fabricating new machines out of raw metal. He parlayed that into the 2009 Spike TV series "Jesse James Is a Dead Man," the highest-rated series debut ever for Spike TV when it aired in July 2009.